About

It all started when…

saxophonist Stella Arabatzoglou took the initiative in 2004 to bring together four musicians with shared common artistic at the Athenaeum International Cultural Centre, founding the Athenaeum Saxophone Quartet. Since then, under her artistic direction, the ensemble’s sought to highlight both the technical capabilities of the saxophone and the quartet’s versatility across different musical genres, performing repertoire from diverse traditions while also presenting premières of new works. This vision has established the quartet as one of the most engaging chamber music ensembles of its kind.

The Athenaeum Saxophone Quartet has since performed extensively throughout Greece, presenting numerous world premières of works by Greek and international composers, many of which were written for and dedicated to the ensemble. in 2010, it performed the Greek première of “Saxtory” by French composer Jérôme Naulais with the Philharmonic Wind of Orchestra of the Municipality of Athens, while in 2012 it collaborated with Greek soloists in a concert featuring original works presented in world première.

In parallel, the quartet stages performances for children and also collaborates with the puppet theatre group Kouko-Moukló in productions with marionettes for adult audiences.

The name Athenaeum refers both to the city in which the quartet is based and serves as a tribute to Louli Psychouli, who warmly supported the idea of its creation from the very beginning by granting the name of the conservatory she directed.